A Russian fighter accidentally fired a round of ammunition into the city Belgorodnear the border to Ukraine, this Thursday, 20, according to a statement by the Ministry of Defense on the Tass news agency. Authorities reported a massive explosion in the city, injuring at least two women, according to the regional governor.
“While a Sukhoi Su34 Air Force aircraft was flying over the city of Belgorod, aerial munitions were accidentally fired,” Tass said, citing the Defense Ministry. A crater with a diameter of 20 meters was opened in the center of the city. What type of ammunition was used was not known.
Belgorod City Hall/by telegram
Image shows open crater in Belgorod after Russian fighter jet accidentally fired munitions Photo: Belgorod City Hall/via Telegram Postadvertisement continuation
“The windows of a nearby apartment building were broken, the explosion damaged several parked cars and downed power poles,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Belgorod Mayor Valentin Demidov released images showing a damaged road, debris in front of a building and the inside of an affected apartment. The region in which the city is located is frequently hit by gunfire, sometimes fatally, for which Moscow blames Ukraine.
In July last year, a number of explosions were recorded near the center of Belgorod, killing at least four people and injuring some. Around the same time, the Russian military said it shot down three Ukrainian missiles that were fired at the city.
In October, two men opened fire on a military training camp in the region in an incident that killed 11 soldiers and wounded 15. The two were killed and classified as terrorists by Russia. /AFP